Chinese army reveals cybersecurity unit and simulator training programs to beef up combat power
China’s military formed a cybersecurity squad eight years ago to protect the country from cyber-attacks, and to provide simulator training to strengthen the army’s combat power, according to the military’s mouthpiece newspaper.
The People’s Liberation Army Daily newspaper ran a front-page story on Sunday about its cybersecurity team, calling it the “online blue army”. It also described the team’s involvement in simulated training to boost the military’s capabilities in combat.
The article said China’s digital brigade won 48 victories in the 50 simulated battles it conducted against other PLA forces between 2014 and 2018. The cybersecurity team follows the model used by online security forces in other countries, such as the United States, the newspaper said.
Geng Yansheng, a spokesperson with the Ministry of National Defense, was quoted as confirming the existence of the PLA’s “online blue army” as early as 2014. Geng said the cybersecurity unit created training programs to meet various operational challenges, simulating other countries’ forces in order to strengthen the PLA capabilities.
At least three times in the past month, Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the country’s military to “prepare for war” and improve its training capacity. Xi is chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Military Commission.
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